Current Families

Attendance

All children living in Pennsylvania have a legal obligation to attend school every day if they are of “compulsory school age.” The person(s) who are caring for the child ‒ usually the child’s parent(s), but sometimes a guardian, relative, or foster parent ‒ are legally responsible for making sure that the child attends school. Students are obligated to attend school and can also be held accountable under the law. Truancy laws require school districts to take certain steps, including convening “school attendance improvement conferences" and creating a school attendance improvement plan to identify the underlying causes of truancy and ensure that students attend school and avoid truancy. (PA Department of Education).

Absence

Excused

Illness, quarantine, doctor’s appointment, death in the family, school related absences, “take your child to work day” absences pre-arranged with the principal, and those due to exceptionally urgent matters are cause for excused absences. However, the child is still marked absent for the time he/she is not in school. A student’s parent or guardian must provide a satisfactory written explanation for the student’s absence. The student must present this note to the homeroom teacher within three days of their return. If a student is absent for three or more consecutive days, he/she must provide a doctor’s note. All absences will be treated as unlawful until the school receives a written excuse explaining the reason(s) for an absence.

Illness

Children who are ill cannot function properly in school and should remain at home. During periods of illness, the health and recovery of the student is of primary importance. Students with a fever and/or vomiting and/or diarrhea may not return to school for 24 hours. To return to school students should be symptom free for 24 hours.

The proper absence procedures are:

A written excuse, explaining the reason for absence and signed by the parent, must be presented within three days of the student’s return to school. If a note is not received this will be considered an unexcused absence.
After ten cumulative days in one school year, a physician’s certificate of illness is required. An absence not certified by a doctor will be considered unexcused.

Note: Persistent absences may cause serious academic problems (including, but not limited to, subject failure).

Reporting

If a child will be absent, a parent is asked to report the absence to the school office at 610-395-7221 by 9:00 AM. This information can be recorded by following the voicemail instructions.

It is the responsibility of the student and parent to check their Family Portal or See-Saw to learn of any missed work during the absence. It is the student’s responsibility to speak with each teacher upon their return to schedule make-up tests or quizzes. Homework may be requested on the third consecutive day of absence. Homework should be requested by 10:45 AM. This work must be picked up between 3:15-4:00 PM in the school office. Missed work will NOT be given to siblings prior to the third consecutive day of absence.

Unexcused

Absences are unexcused if they fail to meet the criteria of an excused absence. Students who are chronically absent for other than serious health reasons will not be permitted to participate in any extracurricular activities, field trips or other activities deemed eligible by the school administration.

A student is truant if the student is subject to compulsory school laws and has incurred three or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year. A child is habitually truant if the child is subject to compulsory school laws and has incurred six or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year. Students who are absent from a school for ten consecutive school days shall be reported to the student’s public school district of residence.

Students who are absent, lawfully, or unlawfully for ten days or more will require a doctor’s note for subsequent absences to be considered excused. Chronic absence from school without a diagnosed illness may be viewed as truancy and could result in notification of the proper civil authorities. Any student who accumulates twenty (20) or more unexcused absences for the year may be subject to the withholding of final passing grades, which may affect the student’s promotion to the next higher grade. Any student who does not fulfill the mandatory requirements for attendance for the school year will not be promoted to the next grade.

Vacation

If you are planning a vacation with your child(ren) during the school year, please first check the school calendar to determine the holidays and early dismissals to avoid having the child(ren) miss valuable presentations of curriculum. Vacations are unexcused absences. Assignments are given when a student returns from a vacation. Assignments will not be given in advance. Upon the student’s return, a parent and/or tutor must assist the student in completing the missed work. Missed tests or quizzes are made up, with prior arrangements, at 7:30 AM, or an agreed upon time between teacher and parent. All work must be completed within one week of returning to school. Standardized testing missed during a vacation cannot be made up.

Early Dismissal

No student may leave school without permission. If a student must leave school during the day, the parent or guardian must provide a written request for the student’s release. The parent/guardian or authorized representative must come for the student and sign the child out of school in the office. Students will only be released to authorized individuals. See “Release of a Child” in the Parents and the School section.

Lateness

A student is considered tardy if they are not in their homeroom at 8:15 AM. When arriving late, a parent/guardian is required to sign the child in at the main office. Then the student will be issued a slip admitting them to class. Every effort should be made to schedule doctor’s and dental appointments around the school day. A student arriving after 10:30 AM or departing prior to 1:30 PM will be marked absent for a half day.

To ensure continuous progress in school, regular attendance and punctuality are essential. A pattern of late arrival is detrimental to a student’s academic progress and disruptive to the classroom learning environment. School administration will implement the following procedures to families whereby late arrival becomes a pattern:

After a student’s fifth tardy an email will be sent to the parent(s).
Upon receiving a seventh tardy a child will receive detention.
Upon the tenth tardy a meeting between the parents and principal will take place before the student can return to school.

Chronic lateness will result in administrative review of the situation. Late bus arrivals do not constitute a late arrival. Students who are chronically late will not be eligible for First or Second Honors.

School Illness/Injury

If a child becomes sick or injured and needs to return home prior to the regular dismissal time, the school will notify the parent/guardian first. The child will be released only to a person whose name appears on the required emergency/pick-up list. Except in the event of an emergency, a parent who needs to sign-out a child prior to the close of the school day should do so by 2:30 PM.

Arrival/Dismissal

St. Joseph the Worker School opens its doors at 8:00 AM. The school day begins at 8:15 AM and ends at 2:50 PM except on early dismissal days.

In the morning, parents are asked to drop off children between 8:00 AM and 8:15 AM. Students who arrive prior to 8:00 AM must be escorted to the Extended Care Program by their parents where they will be properly cared for, and parents will be charged the corresponding fee.

No student will be dismissed prior to the regular dismissal time without the signed permission of a parent/guardian, nor will a student be released to anyone other than a parent without parental authorization. Due to the business of the closing of a school day, any parent wishing to sign-out out their child(ren) at the end of the school day must do so by 2:30 PM.

Change in Transportation

All students will have a primary mode of transportation for dismissal. For your child’s safety, requests for changes to their dismissal/transportation must be made using a Change of Transportation Form and should be submitted to the HR teacher. If a change in transportation is required and was not made in writing a parent must call the main office no later than 1:30 PM to request the change. Please include the child’s name, grade, room, and teacher. Changes in transportation will be accepted on a daily or weekly basis only.

Procedures

BUS

Students are to abide by the codes of the public-school districts that serve their transportation needs. The school district handles violations in conjunction with our principal. Students may only ride on buses within their residing school district. A bus pass will be issued to students seeking transportation on another bus within their home district after written parental permission from all parties is submitted to the school office. The bus pass must be given to the bus driver.

DRIVER-SIDE LINE (Main Lot) - Formerly Car Line

Cars may not interfere with buses by entering the circle in front of the school. Students may not be dropped off before 8:00 AM or remain on the property after dismissal. Students who arrive early or are not picked up at dismissal will be sent to Extended Care and parents will be charged a fee. A parent must accompany students who arrive after 8:15 AM to the office to sign them in.

The car line enters the main entrance from Applewood Drive, turns left and proceeds all the way down and around to the drop-off/pick-up area along the sidewalk. Students exit the car from the driver’s side of the vehicle. At no time should a student leave the sidewalk to enter a vehicle on the passenger’s side. No student may leave the sidewalk to get in a car parked in the lot. When arriving early for dismissal, back into one of the parking spaces along the perimeter of the parking lot.

PASSENGER-SIDE LINE (ECE Lot) - Formerly Van Line

Van line enters and exits from the top entrance by the basketball court. The drop-off/pick-up area is at the end of the building for arrival and at the pre-school entrance for dismissal. Students exit from the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Cars exit by turning around in this area and proceeding to the top entrance by the basketball court. Do not park in this area from 8:00 AM to 8:15 AM and from 2:30 PM to 3:15 PM. The school’s main entrance is for bus and car traffic only.

Daily Schedule

FACTS Family Portal

Families have access to view student grades, homework, attendance, behavior as well as view the school calendar, complete forms, download forms and view school policies all in the FACTS Family Portal.

Click button below to sign in.

FACTS FAMILY PORTAL

If you do not already have an account follow these instructions:

HOW TO ACCESS FACTS FAMILY PORTAL

In Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge, visit factsmgt.com and click Family Login | FACTS Family Portal.

Click Create Family Portal Account.
Type your school's District Code = Our School Code is STJW-PA
Type your email address and click Create Account. An email will be sent which includes a link to create your Family Portal Login. The link is active for 6 hours.
Select the Click to Create your Family Portal Login link.
Type a User Name, Password, and Confirm your password.
Click Save Username and/or Password.
A message displays at the top of the browser, "User Name/Password successfully updated."
Return to factsmgt.com and click Family Login | FACTS Family Portal.
Login with your newly created Username and Password.

Helping Hands

What is Helping Hands?

Helping Hands is a gift card fundraiser that returns a portion of the gift card value to the school/parish - and you - in the form of a tuition credit. When you purchase Helping Hands gift cards, you're purchasing negotiable gift cards that are used just like cash. You can use these gift cards to purchase everyday expenses like food, clothing, and other essentials, and with every purchase, you reduce your tuition costs and help our parish.

85% of the rebate percentage listed for each merchant will be applied to the 2020-2021 school year. To correctly allocate rebates, all purchasers are required to complete the Scrip Program Agreement annually. Rebates may be used as a tuition credit to the School, PREP, Early Childhood Education Center, Allentown Central Catholic High School, and college/university tuition.

Don't have students in our school? Please consider helping needy families or the parish itself by allocating your rebates to the Angel (scholarships) or Parish Fund on your agreement.

Online shopping at ShopWithScrip.com is another way to further reduce your tuition. Several local orthodontists and merchants participate with our program as well.

Helping Hands Selling Hours

Before and after weekend Masses. You may drop off your envelope to the seller before Mass, and then pick up after Mass.
Tuesdays through Fridays in the Rectory Office 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM.

Orders can be sent into school with your child Monday-Thursday. Your gift card orders will be filled and sent home the same day(or next) with your student unless specified otherwise. We are not responsible for any lost/misplaced orders once the order is handed to your child.

Shop with Scrip is another way to earn dollars to offset the cost of tuition.

For Information About ShopwithScrip and Instructions email helpinghands@stjw.org or call Jonelle Yonak at 610-395-2876 ext 174 or

visit https://www.stjwchurch.org/helping-hands.

Home & School Assocition (HSA)

Once a parent enrolls his or her child at St. Joseph the Worker, we begin a relationship with the family that we hope lasts a lifetime. We recognize the parents and family as primary educators and join with them to form a living community of shared visions. We encourage family input and involvement in the ongoing education of their children. We strive to create a special bond among the students, the home, the school, and the church, so that all share a strong sense of community.

One of the best qualities of our school is the welcoming atmosphere. Many parents have commented that they "...knew the moment we walked in the doors that St. Joseph the Worker was the place for us." We value our close-knit school and parish community and strive to make each and every person, student or parent, feel welcome and appreciated.

The Home and School Association (HSA) is an organization designed to strengthen the relationship between home and school by providing our parents with a means to gather, share information, and work together on school-related projects. All parents/guardians are members of the HSA and are invited to attend HSA Meetings. Please refer to the monthly school calendar for Home and School Association meeting dates and times.

Many parents discover that they meet some of their best friends by sitting on the sidelines watching their child’s sporting events or by volunteering on school projects, such as the auction. Families come from many different neighborhoods, parishes, and school backgrounds. Attendance at events and participation in school activities helps foster a sense of community.

HSA organizes many activities through out the year to bring our community together.

HSA Activities/Events:

Used Uniform Sales
Book Fairs
Night at the Phantoms
Night at the Iron Pigs
Bingo Night
Trivia Night
Dine & Donate Nights
Trunk-or-Treat
Skate Night
Family Tubing

Parent/Student Handbook

Simple Tuition Solutions (STS)

STS offers a user-friendly financial aid application process. We work directly with the family to gather the information schools need to make accurate financial need assessments.

Customized Application
Funds Management
Comprehensive Reporting

STS offers families easy access to multiple payment plan options, while providing schools with a one-stop-shop billing solution. We provide schools with a user-friendly portal, real time AR & Delinquency data, and customized reporting.

Automatic Debit Payment Plans
Flexible Payment Frequencies
Multiple Payment Methods: ACH, Credit/Debit Card, Check
Payment Reminders
Deliquency Follow-Up
Incidental Billing Included

Click the button below to sign in or create an account.

STS SIgn IN

Student Dress Code

School uniforms are integral to the mission and purpose of Catholic Education. Our uniform policy is designed to follow the Church’s teachings on humility. Uniforms serve to offer equality, discipline, and cost-effectiveness for our families. Uniforms show us that we are equal persons created in the image of God. They instill mutual respect among students and teachers by eliminating unnecessary distractors. Research shows that students who wear uniforms tend to develop stronger self-discipline and experience less peer pressure.

Download the Dress Code by clicking the button below.

Dress Code 23-24

IMPORTANT NOTES

Effective July 1, 2023, ALL new core uniform items are required to be purchased through the Flynn & O’Hara Uniform Company: Valley Plaza Shopping Center, 1876 Catasauqua Road, Allentown, PA 18103; 610-231-3788; www.flynnohara.com; or the main store in Philadelphia, 215-637-4600 or 800-441-4122.

GRANDFATHER CLAUSE FOR 2023-24: If you have uniform items that still fit your child, they will be permitted for the 2023-24 school year. The 2023-24 school year will serve as a transition year, so families do not have to purchase complete replacements of all uniform items. However, please remember, all NEW core uniform items MUST be purchased through Flynn & O’Hara. This includes, Kilts, Polos, Pants, Shorts etc.

Many auxiliary uniform items can also be purchased at Flynn & O’Hara but are not required to be. All items in the chart below are marked as to where they can/must be purchased.

DRESS CODE TYPES

Fall/Spring Uniform – From the start of the school year until October 31^st, and from April 1^st until the end of the school year, students will wear the uniform outlined below unless otherwise specified. Please note, this uniform will also be worn on Mass days during these periods of time.

Winter Uniform – From November 1^st to March 31^st students will wear the uniform outlined below unless otherwise specified. Please note, this uniform will also be worn on Mass days during this period of time.

Spirit Wear Day – On special days designated by the principal, students may dress in STJW spirit wear. This special day requires students to wear gym shorts (warm weather uniform only) or gym pants (cold weather uniform) with a shirt that shows STJW specific pride. This includes STJW CYO uniform shirts, assorted STJW spirit wear t-shirts (which can be purchased yearly), previous year’s Walk-a-thon shirts, or any previous STJW t-shirts. Sneakers can be worn for this special uniform day.

Dress Down Day – On special days designated by the principal, students may be out of uniform. The following code is intended to encourage individuality and style within the framework of the virtue of modesty. Therefore, students are not permitted to wear clothing which offends the sense of common decency as judged by those entrusted with providing a positive school environment. Students shall not wear any clothing items or clothing accessories which, in the view of an administrator, represent a safety hazard or a danger to school property.

PARENTAL SUPPORT

Parents are asked to help us enforce the dress code by checking their children’s clothing before they come to school to make sure they are dressed following the dress code. If a family emergency or medical issue should prevent a student from wearing the uniform for a given time, the parents are asked to write a note to the principal who will allow the exception if it is necessary. Parents are asked to clearly label their child’s uniform with name and grade level to facilitate the return of items that may be misplaced or lost.

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